By Matthew Monks
In a dispute over fees, Time Warner refused to air Mets games on Cablevision-owned Madison Square Garden Network and Fox Sports New York since March 7, frustrating scores of Mets faithful unable to watch the fourth-place team during its most promising season in years. After state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer stepped in, the cable giants settled on a five-year deal that went into effect Monday night, giving local sports fans a chance to watch the Mets defeat the Chicago Cubs in a 7-4 victory.Two Queens lawmakers who had been pressuring the companies to come to terms welcomed the deal – the details of which were not disclosed – but said the dispute showed the need for government oversight over local programming. State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) still plans on sponsoring legislation that would levy a daily fine on cable providers that refuse to carry regional sports networks. The 10-cent-a-customer-fee would have been steep in the Time Warner-Cablevision case, adding up to $240,000 a day, $14.4 million a month and $86.4 million for the duration of the six-month baseball season “The legislation was not specific to this Mets dispute,” Gianaris said. “I have no intention of withdrawing the legislation because it applies to prevent this kind of debacle from ever happening again.”He said there could be another blackout next year when Time Warner and Comcast launches a channel that will carry 125 Mets games. It is possible that Cablevision could refuse to broadcast it in another fight over fees, Gianaris said. That is one reason why City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) plans to introduce a resolution calling on the federal government to give municipal governments more oversight over local cable franchisers. Avella, chairman of the city's zoning and franchises committee, held two hearings on the dispute, urging the parties to make a deal. Because of federal restrictions, it was all the Council could do to pressure the companies. “You can't keep putting the fans of local sports teams in the middle (of disputes) and in effect be held hostage,” Avella said. Reach Matt Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
